Palatine, IL Special Events & Permits: Sidewalk Dining & Cafés (2026)

Section 11.01(d), Outdoor Restaurant Seating in the Public Right-of-Way, limits the use to restaurants operating on private property along their own street frontage, and only inside the Central Business District boundary bordered by Wood Street, Smith Street, Johnson Street and Plum Grove Road. An operator must file a complete application under Section 11.01(d)(2) and pay an annual fee of $100, then wait while the Zoning Administrator conducts an internal review within 30 days of submission. The Administrator either sends concerns back to the applicant or forwards a recommendation to the Village Manager, who holds final authority to approve and issue the license or deny the application; a denial can be appealed to the Village Council at the petitioner's request, though the approved site plan can never interfere with pedestrian or vehicular accessibility.

Once licensed, Section 11.01(d)(4) imposes ongoing design and operation standards: the business owner is responsible for keeping the right-of-way neat and clean, covering general upkeep but not repair of public infrastructure, and the open portion of the sidewalk between the outermost table or chair and the curb or nearest permanent obstruction can never shrink below five feet, matching or exceeding the Illinois Accessibility Code's minimum. Because the license covers use of public property rather than private land, it operates through a formal license agreement rather than a standard building permit.